1. Products Why is Butcher’s Choice good for my small dog? Butcher’s Choice has been specially formulated using our finest ingredients to cater for small dogs and even the fussiest of appetites. Made with fresh meat and no artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives, all Butcher’s Choice unique recipes guarantee fantastic tasting natural nutrition for your best friend. Plus, as these are completely nutritionally balanced meals you can be assured all Butcher’s Choice recipes contain all the vitamins and minerals your dog needs to ensure he’ll be as fit as a Butcher’s dog! Why will my dog like Butcher’s Choice? Butcher’s Choice has extremely high levels of palatability; basically to dog’s it tastes great as all our recipes are made with fresh meat and are not bulked out with cereal or soya. This gives your dog more of what he really loves –meat. Each recipe is developed with leading experts, so you can be sure that every meal tastes great and is providing your dog with the essential vitamins and mineral he needs.
What is the Butcher’s Choice promise? As a result of our unique company heritage and farming background we believe in simple honest good food so are committed to providing natural meals for your dog that taste great! The Butcher’s Choice promise is our commitment to you (and your dog!) to provide the very best nutrition in great tasting recipes made with natural ingredients. All our recipes are specially formulated using our the finest ingredients blended together and cooked gently to ensure the best possible taste and nutrition for your dog – all prepared with care … naturally!
Do Butcher’s add any artificial additives to their products? No, absolutely not. Butcher’s Pet Care is committed to the production of natural products for dogs so none of our recipes contain any artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives. Butcher’s Choice recipes are gently cooked, perfectly balanced meals, prepared with care… naturally.
Does Butcher’s Choice contain cereal or soya? No – bulking out dog food with cereal and soya not only reduces the amount of meat included in the recipe, but can also cause allergy problems, particularly for dogs with a gluten intolerance. Therefore, by producing dog foods that do not contain cereal or soya, not only are we providing a healthy diet for Britain’s small dogs, but we are also making delicious dog foods – no cereal or soya means more meat, which dogs love!
Are the Butcher’s Choice Organic trays registered as organic? Butcher’s Choice Organic is accredited by the Organic Farmers and Growers Society and has been registered as complying with the EU regulations on organic produce by the European regulators, Skal. So, you can be sure your dog’s Butcher’s Choice organic food is just as organic as yours.
2. Feeding My dog currently eats another brand of dog food; can I change him onto Butcher’s Choice? Yes, you can! Any change in food should take place over a number of days. The amount of new food given should gradually increase until becoming the majority of the dish. If your dog is on a special diet please consult your vet before making any changes to his diet.
How much should I feed my dog? We have included a feeding guide on the back of all our Butcher’s Choice products as an estimate for how much you should be feeding your dog. A copy of one of these can be found below. However, you know your dog best, so you’re the best person to decide how much he should be fed. Remember to take his activity levels into account – feed him more if he’s constantly on the move and less if he enjoys a more relaxed lifestyle.
FEEDING GUIDE FOR A HEALTHY ADULT DOG Body Weight 150g Trays per Day Up to 5kg 2-3 5-10kg 3-5
Is Butcher’s Choice suitable for puppies? To ensure your new puppy receives the specialist diet he needs, we’ve teamed up with leading nutritionists to develop the Butcher’s Choice Puppy range. With calcium and omega 3 & 6 (for healthy teeth and bones) and added fats and oils (for a healthy skin and coat), feeding your new little friend Butcher’s Choice Puppy will ensure he grows up to be as ‘fit as a Butcher’s dog’. Butcher’s Choice Puppy is perfect for little puppies that will grow up to be little dogs.
How much should I feed my puppy? The labels on Butcher’s Choice Puppy foil trays give feeding guides, such as the one below. Feeding amounts for your puppy depends on breed, age and activity levels so all of these aspects need to be taken into account when deciding how much to feed.
DAILY FEEDING GUIDE (SIZE WHEN ADULT ) – TRAYS PER DAY Body Weight 150g Trays per Day Up to 5kg 2-3 5-10kg 3-5
What does “complete” mean on the packaging? All Butcher’s Choice recipes are called complete meals as they provide all your dog’s daily dietary requirements including all their vitamins and minerals when fed in accordance with the feeding guides provided. That’s why there is no need to add anything and you can be confident your dog is getting all the nutrition he needs in perfectly balanced meals that we’ve prepared with care to ensure not only is your dog getting the very best nutrition but in a meal he’ll really enjoy too.
Should I feed mixer with Butcher’s Choice? Because Butcher’s Choice recipes are complete foods, they contain all the essential vitamins and minerals your small dog needs to keep him happy and healthy so you don’t need to add anything extra, plus because our Butcher’s Choice recipes have high meat content and are made with fresh meat your dog will enjoy his all-meat meals without the need to supplement extra food.
However, if you do decide you would like to feed your small dog some mixer biscuits as well the general rule is to keep the total meal size the same so reduce the wet food given in accordance with how much mixer you are adding.
My dog doesn’t eat a full tray of Butcher’s Choice in one meal; is it OK to store the rest in the fridge? Yes, you can store Butcher’s Choice in the fridge for up to 24 hours. However, as with all single serve produce, we do recommend that you keep it in a sealed plastic container, not in the tray. To ensure your dog gets to fully enjoy the delicious flavours of his Butcher’s Choice remember to return the food to room temperature before serving.
Is Butcher’s Choice suitable for senior dogs? To ensure your senior dog enjoys a happy retirement our leading nutritionists have developed the Butcher’s Choice Senior recipes. With added chicory to aid digestion in your dog’s senior years and added sunflower oil for a healthy skin and coat your best friend will look as handsome as ever – even with a sprinkling of grey!
My dog is gluten intolerant; can he eat Butcher’s Choice? Absolutely. Many of our competitors use gluten in their dog foods, in the form of gluten chunks that look like real meat but actually have much less taste and nutritional value than the real meat we put in our recipes at Butcher’s. Because we do not include cereal (a source of gluten in most pet foods) in any of our recipes every single Butcher’s Choice product is suitable for dogs with a gluten intolerance.
Should dogs eat vegetables? Although the dogs of thousands of years ago were carnivores, they have evolved into omnivores so now can eat, and enjoy, vegetables. As with your diet, vegetables contain vitamins and minerals that will help keep your dog healthy so the Butcher’s Choice Traditional range offers a variety recipes made with both fresh meat and vegetables.
However, we do understand that some dogs, just like people, don’t like vegetables so we’ve developed the NEW Succulent Meat range of recipes made with fresh meat and our nothing artificial guarantee but with no vegetables, so if your dog is not a vegetable fan he can still enjoy the unique great taste of Butcher’s Choice! [add link to SM product page – text = click here to see the Succulent Meat Recipe range].
Should dogs eat pasta? Pasta contains gluten which can exacerbate allergies in some dogs. As a result, we don’t put pasta in any of our Butcher’s Choice products. However, if your dog does not have a gluten intolerance, eating pasta should not cause him any harm.
How do I help my dog lose weight? If you are concerned about your dog’s weight, you should consult your vet for information about how to help him slim down. The theory is just the same as with humans – reduce food intake and increase exercise. But make sure your dog continues to get all the essential nutrients he needs.
3. Buying Butcher’s Where can I buy Butcher’s Choice? Butcher’s Choice is available in all supermarkets, as well as local convenience stores, wholesale shops and in all good pet shops.
Can I buy Butcher’s Choice directly in bulk? Unfortunately Butcher’s Choice does not have a home shopping service. However, many of the main supermarkets do, so you can buy your Butcher’s Choice in bulk from them and get them to do the heavy lifting of all that yummy dog food!
4. Meet our Dogs What breed of dog is featured on the Butcher’s Choice packs? The Choice dogs are Havanese dogs and are utterly adorable! The breed is quite rare with only 700 or so in the UK and they were originally bred to be good companion dogs and if you are lucky enough to have met one you’ll know they are certainly that!
Each Havanese is very different – not only do they vary in terms of hair colour and style – from black to white, from short and curly to long and flowing … just like Ellie on the front of the Traditional range, but each Havanese has their own unique character and personality. Modelling for us on our packaging you’ll find Bashful Rory, Head of the Clan Hercules, gorgeous and cuddly Ellie and fun-loving and playful puppy Lottie … and believe us no two Havanese are the same. So if you’re lucky enough to meet one we’re certain you’ll agree this is a little dog with heaps of character who is just fun to be around!
5. Others Do Butcher’s test on animals? We do not carry out invasive testing or keep captive animals. Butcher’s Pet Care only carries out palatability taste tests on new products, to make sure everything we produce is as delicious as your dog expects! This is carried out in the dog’s home environment, by the owner and at the usual feeding times.
To read our full ethical policy, please click here. Who is Butcher’s owned by? Butcher’s and Butcher’s Choice are the dog food brands of Butcher’s Pet Care Ltd. We also make the Classic brand of cat food. Butcher's Pet Care is a family-run, UK based company, committed to providing top quality, naturally nutritious pet foods. The Baker family, who own Butcher’s Pet Care, were award-winning breeders of beef cattle and farmers before they branched out into pet food, so they know good meat – knowledge that has been transferred into all Butcher’s produce since the company began in 1986.
